Janis Joplin
1964 Porsche 356 C 1600 SC Cabriolet
A daily driver became a canvas
- Connection
- Former owner
- When
- Purchased in 1968
- Identity
- Chassis 160371 · Reutter body
Janis Joplin bought the four-year-old Porsche in 1968 and asked Dave Richards, who worked with her band, to paint it. His mural covered the cabriolet with portraits, landscapes and symbols. RM Sotheby’s describes it as a car she regularly drove, rather than a stage prop.
The car’s later paint tells another chapter. After a restoration to gray, Joplin’s family commissioned Jana Mitchell and Amber Owen to recreate Richards’s artwork using period photographs. It was loaned to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and offered by Joplin’s siblings at auction in 2015.
Sources for this story
The auction catalog identifies the chassis and family provenance. The later mural is a recreation of the original artwork.
- 1964 Porsche 356 C 1600 SC Cabriolet by ReutterRM Sotheby’s · 2015 · external source
Chassis and model identity, Joplin’s purchase and use, artist attribution, recreated paint and family provenance.
Reviewed
How we identified the photographed car
- Photo identity evidence
The auction lot identifies Janis’s car as a 1964 356 C 1600 SC, chassis 160371, offered by her siblings. It documents the 1990s recreation of Dave Richards’s mural by Jana Mitchell and Amber Owen and its museum loan from 1995 until 2015.
- Photo identity evidence
The photographer identifies Janis’s Porsche at the same museum on 30 December 2014, within the documented loan period. The complete car, distinctive mural, and display placard are visible.
The matching photographer, venue, date and vehicle history establish the identification; the chassis stamp is not visible in these photographs.